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10.381,032, Patented'Apr. 41o, 1888.

(NoModeLj- U NITFD H STATES A'LPHFUs E. RCF., oF sAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, AssIGNoRfoF CNE;

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Y f CABLE-RAlL-'RCAD GRIP.

SPECIFICATION 'forming part of Letters Patent No. 381.632, dated April l10, 1888.

` Application inea Augustiaiss. seriarNo. 21;,342. (No model.)

. To AaZZ whom 671mg concern.: 1

Be it known that I, ALPHEUS E. ROE, of the 4city and county of San Francisco, State of'California, have invented an Improvement in (la- 5 bleRailway Grips; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description oflhe same. i A

My invention relates to an improvedmechanism for connccting'railway cars or' carriages 1c with an'endless traveling cable, which moves in a tubeor tunnel beneath the roadway.`

It consistsof short endless chains passing around rollers which are journaled upon a I frame depending from the car,and so placed that one of the chains will stand above andthe other below the cable. In combination with `these is a mechanism by which the cable is gripped between the chains or released there,

' from for the purpose of starting or 'stopping 2Q the car, and a-,mechanism by which the lower grip may bethrown to one side to release 'it entirely from the cable.

My invention also consists in certain details of construction, all of which will be more fully explained by reference to the accompanying tion of the grip. Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of the grip,showing the manner in which the samek is suspended. f

A are the rails of a street or otherk railway.

B is t-he cable which travels ina tube or tun- Y 4C nel situated centrally beneath this roadway, and in the present case it isv shown a little to one side of the slot,l), through which the frame E passes to support the gripping mechanism, so as to .be out ofthe line of` dirt and dust which may fall through the slot D in the roadway.

F F are the wheels' of the truckfrom which the gripping mechanism'is suspended. 'Ihey frame E consists of a broad plate, sufficiently `5o thin to enable it to pass through the slot D,

and its width may be made considerably greater' within the tunnel, so that it haschain pulleys or rollers G journaled toit, as shown in Fig. 1. Saidiframe E consists of two. xedjvertical 4parts and anV intermediate sliding part', T, piv- 55 otally connected to lever U. One set of these 1 pulleys is situated below the cable B andthe others'et above it, both sets standing linaplane i .which will pass through thecable if projected.

Aroundsthe pulleys short endless.y chains H 6o pass, these chainsbeing made in shortsections jointedv at I, so asto be suflicie'ntly exibl'e'to `pass around the pulleys G, and .h'avingtheir f youter faces groovedor channeled, "sowastoform shoes which may be compressedfupon the V cable. The pulleys G of the" upper andlowerV seriesare rset so near together that when the chains H are in placethey will travel incontact with the cable, and withsufcient compress-n ing force, so that when the car is stationary the 7o y moving cable will cause the chains to travel continually around their vrespectivev supporting-pulleys. When it is desiredto start the car, it must be done b y stoppingf thetraveli'ng chains when their compression upon'the 'cable 75 is sufficient, so that the latter will cause them, the grip-frame, andvcar to be moved simultav neously.

edges are connected with a cam, L',.by the 9o.'-

movernent of which it may be closedto clamp Vthe pulley and prevent its rotation, or bya partial turn of which the pressure ofthe ring upon the pulley may berelieved. This action is produced by means 'of a lever-arm, M, and 95.

a connecting rod orlink, N, which extends Y upward and connects with the bellcrank hand-lever O, by which the'device is operated. Y

P is the rack by. which this lever is held-at loro Y In order to stopV the revolution of these k chains, I formacluch inthe following man- 8o vchains upon the rope.

any desired point. When the lever Oi is moved, it communicates its motion through the link N to the lever M, and this aetuates the cam L, so as to close the ring K and cause yit to compress tightly upon the pulley J. As this pulley is upon the shaft of one of the chain-pulleys G, it will be manifest that when it is prevented from revolving the chain-pulley, and with it the chain, will'also be prevented from revolving, which will cause the rope to move the car along the track by reason of the compression of these gripping- The length of the chains being considerable, it produces a shoe of greater length than ordinary, which correspondingl y increases the frietional surface and enables it to holdthe cable firmly without being compressed so severely by the latter, as is thecase with ordinary plainshoesorwith single plain rollers which have heretofore been used. The pulley .I may be gradually stopped in its rotation, and the action of the cable will be as gradually transferred to the car, so that the latter may be started in its movements as slowly as may be desirable, and the strain upon the cable will be greatly reduced. As the cable is placed to one side of the slot, it will be manifest that in single-track railways both the cables going ont and returning may be placed within the same tube, and the same grip may be used to carry the carin either direction by simply reversing it upon the truck without the expense of a turn-table or mechanism for tnrning'thecar around. This is done by supporting the frame E within the cylinder Q. (See Fig. 7.) This cylinder is fitted to turn freely in a corresponding vertical guide upon the truck or car supporting the grip, and it is only necessary to turn this around when the car `has reached the end of itsjourney and reverse the grip.

In order to release the rope from the grips, the lower portion of the sliding part T of the frame E is hinged, as shown at R in Figs. 2, 5, and 6, so that this portion carrying the lower set of pulleys, G, may be turned about its hinges, so as to allow the cable to drop out between the gripping-chains. This movement of the lower hinged portion of the frame is produced by means of an arm, S, projecting at right angles to it, and the link T, connecting therewith and extending upward toa lateral projection upon the lower end of thefixed parts E.

By means of this mechanism the lower part of the frame E and the pulleys G, with their chain, may be swung to one side, as shown in the dotted lines in Fig. 2, thus entirely releasing the cable. This enables the car to be moved to any point away from the cable, and the grip may be turned around when the end ofthe track has been reached, so that the car can be returned Without its being reversed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. A cablerailway grip composed of parallel endless chains passing around pulleys which'carry the chains one above and onebelow the cable and in close contact therewith, in combination with a friction-pulley secured to the shaft of one of the chainearrying pulleys, and a strap and operating lever or mechanism by which the pulleys and chains are arrested and caused to travel with the cable, substantially as herein described. i

2. The parallel endless chains passing around pulleys above and below the traveling cable, which hold the chains constantly in contact with the cable, a wheel or pulley secured to the extension of the shaft of 'one of the pulleys, and a clamp or mechanism whereby the motion of the pulleys and chains may be arrested, so that the car to which they are'attached may be moved with the cable, substantially as herein described.

3. The parallel endless chains passing around pulleys supported upon the grip-frame travcling in contact with the cable, in combination with a vertical cylinder or turn-table upon the car or truck frame and supporting the gripframe which passes through its center, so that the whole may be reversed without turning the car, substantially as herein described.

4. The grip-frame composed of two sections hinged together, in combination with chainpnlleys attached inseries to each of the two sections, and parallel endless chains passing around said pulleys, so as to be compressed upon the cable, or so that the cable may be re.- leased therefrom by the movement of the hinged portion, substantially as herein described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

ALPHEUS E. ROE.

Witnesses:

GEO. H. STRONG, S. H. NoURsE.

IOO 

